Bay View Builders allowed us to critique their logo. The following critique is based on one designer's opinions and experience.

Let me start by saying, I'm sure the original designer had good intentions. The logo, while needing some work, does at least communicate that Bay View Builders does most likely build residential homes.

Design Principals

Let's start by talking about the overall design of the logo. Visually, the logo appears ready to tip over to the left. The stair stepped typography and the open white space in the lower left contribute to this problem.

One way to help solve this might be to put the type all on one line beneath the illustration. This might also help the balance between the two items (type & icon) because the type would likely need to come down in size. The type comes across very bold and heavy in contrast to the light weight lines of the illustration, thus creating two very separate items. The colors also contribute to this problem of separation. Another thing that I find distracting is the black circle of the sun. This draws the views eye away from the business name which is not ideal.

Functionality / Versatility

From a functional standpoint the logo is definitely legible, however at small sizes the light weight lines of the illustration could become problematic. The logo is two color which will work well for reproduction.

Does the Logo Work for the Audience?

After taking a quick look at the company's website, I can see they do carpentry, new home construction, remodeling and additions for residential customers. The samples in their portfolio look fairly high-end which leads me to believe their customers would be middle to upper-class home owners looking for quality, professional builders to meet their remodeling or home construction needs. I'm don't believe the logo does a good job of communicating with that group of people. As a matter I fact, I think the logo comes across cheap and unprofessional looking. While a logo is usually not the sole reason someone does business with you it can, and often does, play a part in the process.

Uniqueness

I think it's fair to say this logo is not very unique. The typography is pretty standard and looks as though it was just typed on the page. The illustration looks like cheap clip art. In my opinion the color palette could also be improved.

I think some more sophisticated deeper tones may help to portray higher quality, more professional and a less generic looking brand.

Take the color palette above for example. These blue and green tones reflect the ocean and come across much more sophisticated than the current color palette.

Blue may well be a good color to work with because of the 'Bay' reference in the name, but there other hues of blue besides what is available in the standard Microsoft Word® color palette, which is how this hue comes across to me.

Typography

The chosen typeface for this logo may not be the best choice. The rounded and bloated letters don't really tie well to construction. Choosing a typeface that has cleaner lines may be a better fit. Something that can help portray stability and quality might be a good approach.

Possible Improvements

So what is the best way to improve the logo? Well I think have made some comments above that can certainly help. So, here's a list of actionable items.

Find a way to get the type and illustration working together and bring some balance to them. Consider ways to get the two items integrated with each other. Also think about the relationship between the line weight of the type and the illustration.

Improve the illustration or consider eliminating it all together. Consider alternate imagery as well that ties in with your business (tools, materials, etc.)

Choose a typeface that represents the business (quality, professional, solid, sturdy, etc.)

Explore some color options/combinations to find something more unique to create a pleasing contrast.

Remember the logo should work in black and white and in various sizes. Keep that in mind as you work on any revisions you may choose to make.

I hope you have found the above information useful. My intention is not to hurt feelings, but rather to offer constructive feedback and critique. Best of luck.

I appreciate & welcome your comments, and look forward to hearing from you soon. I purposely don't cover every possible improvement that can be made to this logo, so go for it if you think I missed anything. All I ask is that you keep your comments clean and appropriate.

The images & logos presented on this blog are copyrighted by their respective owners. The blog itself is copyright Erik Peterson, 2008-2019 All Rights Reserved.

We enjoy your comments

7 Comments so far.
Keep 'em Coming.

#1

By Myles

03.09.2009 at 02:07 PM

I think this logo is not well balanced. At a quick glance it doesn’t make a lasting impression. The font choice isn’t great either.

#2

By Franziska

03.09.2009 at 06:14 PM

Wow, a very in-depth first article. I agree with each and every thing you said :-]
Very good tips for improvement, too and imho your tone is very constructive!

#3

By mark nyquist

03.10.2009 at 03:27 PM

As a well versed graphic designer you have explained the faults of the bay view builders logo very well. As you said, you have viewed their website and determined the client base of bay view builders to be upper middle class home owners. That being said this is the foundation of my constructive criticism.
The representation of the architecture could be more sophisticated. Instead of a ‘stick figure’ house, more detail could be added to the drawing lending a better understanding of the companies abilities and quality of work. There are two structures in the logo. One is clearly a house and the other is not clearly represented. Without being mean, I think the other looks like a large toilet.
My suggestion is to have just one structure on the logo. By doing this more detail can be added to the structure in turn representing better the quality of work bay view builders is capable of.
I hope my opinion is well received as I am just trying to help.

#4

By cover letter builder

08.26.2009 at 04:21 PM

This is all so interesting. I had always believed that it was ultimately just a matter of opinions and personal likings but feels nice to learn that there is a procedure to this creativity as well.

#5

By slither.io game rules

07.17.2016 at 05:49 PM

Generally I don’t read article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up ery pressured me to
try and do it! Your wriging taste has been surprised me.
Thank you, very great article.